Manchester, New Hampshire (CNN) - Rick Santorum called President Barack Obama's education goals an agenda of "hubris" on Saturday, saying he is "outraged" that the president thinks "every child in America should go to college."

"The hubris of this president to think that he knows what's best for you [...] This is the kind of snobbery that we see from those that think they know how to run our lives," the former Pennsylvania senator said in a forum at St. Anselm's New Hampshire Institute of Politics.

Obama has repeatedly said he wants the United States to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. Earlier this year, while announcing plans to reform "No Child Left Behind," Obama also said he intends for every student to graduate "career and college ready."

But Santorum, whose children's education includes home-schooling, argued that not everyone is suited for a college education.

"I have seven kids. Maybe they'll all go to college. But if one of my kids wants to go and be an auto mechanic, good for him, that's a good paying job, using your hands, using your mind," he said.

Santorum calls for the federal government to have a "very limited" role in education, advocating for "flexible and personalized approaches to education for each child to best maximize their potential."

"We are leaving so many children behind because they're not ready to go to college - they don't want to go to college, they don't need to go to college," Santorum said Saturday.

soundoff(619 Responses)

gemma

Santorum earned a B.A. in political science from Pennsylvania State University in 1980 and an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1981. In 1986, Santorum received a Juris Doctorate degree from the Dickinson School of Law,

I wish my parents took a different stance and could have afforded to send me to college. Santorum is the one with the hubris.

January 7, 2012 01:06 pm at 1:06 pm |

stevetall

So now we're listening to this moron? Wow. I agree with the president that every kid should have the chance to go to college and that a better educated society is a good idea. A better educated population is only a problem for the Republicans since the better educated tend to vote against them.

There sure is a lot to dislike about Santorum and the rest of the clowns in the parade of wanna-bees.

January 7, 2012 01:07 pm at 1:07 pm |

New Yorker

Off course Santorum does not want every one to got to college – how else can the elites give all the powerful jobs and positions to their children? I will not be surprised if Santorum as a President will discourage higher education, advanced research, innovation etc. Keep the citizens in the dark – that how Republicans can win a majority.

January 7, 2012 01:11 pm at 1:11 pm |

informed voter

It's not snobbery for a country's leader to aspire to have the most highly educated population in the world. I do agree, that college is not for everyone, and we do need mechanics and laborers who don't need college to learn their skills. But for someone who hopes to be considered for the highest office in our nation, to belittle high goals for most people, is just nonsense, and proves Santorum is not qualified for the job. Obama 1012, seriously, because we like smart, educated people!

January 7, 2012 01:13 pm at 1:13 pm |

LegendRx

Rick Santorum, God is laughing and frowning at you. Using God's name in vain at your every disposal while bearing false witness against God's appointed leader, for your own selfish agenda (Romans 13:1 in the KJV says: Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God) Even David respected God's appointed . . . David tells King Saul the reason that he could not lift up his hand against the king saying, ‘I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the LORD’S anointed. 1 Samuel ’24:8-15. Rick Santorum, A pseudo Christian along with the whole conservative right . . . the so called evangelicals and the bible gate, all are laughable and will be judge the most extreme by God . . . Period.

January 7, 2012 01:13 pm at 1:13 pm |

Taylor

what is wrong with the GOP ?

January 7, 2012 01:13 pm at 1:13 pm |

Greyman

Because in the mystical realm of Teabagistan, the dreaded label of 'elitism' goes to anyone with an education beyond high school.

How long before it gets applied to anyone who made it to 8th grade?

January 7, 2012 01:16 pm at 1:16 pm |

idiocracy

Seems there is norhing more conservatives like to embrace than ingnorance. Not everyone will go to college but the more people do the better this country competes in the world.... duh

January 7, 2012 01:16 pm at 1:16 pm |

BeanTown Bully

Wow..... This guy is scarily unqualified for the presidency. How did ne convince a woman to put out seven times? Crazy......

January 7, 2012 01:17 pm at 1:17 pm |

Tony

And this is why America is in a steady decline of intellectual talent, because a college education is too "snobbery". If you don't go to college and have a goal in life, then that's totally fine. But nowadays, it's just "Oh, I don't want to go to college cuz it's too hard" or "I can't afford college". It's the mentality that's got to be fixed.

January 7, 2012 01:17 pm at 1:17 pm |

Get Real

Frothy you complete tool. President Obama is trying to ensure that every child who WANTS to go to college and get a higher education is not denied the opportunity because of finances or discrimination. Only a right wing jacka– like yourself would find fault with that. You will have the shortest but most infuriating turn driving the GOP clown car this election season. No wonder PA kicked you out.

January 7, 2012 01:21 pm at 1:21 pm |

jack

The more this man talks the more I think the google result describing him is appropriate

January 7, 2012 01:26 pm at 1:26 pm |

anotherGDlefty

Wanting an educated populace is "snobbery"?
Why Rick, is it because education usually turns people AGAINST the GOP policies?
Why else would ANYONE not want every American to strive for higher education?
GU\uess what Ricky, even mechanics have to go to school now to learn thier trade.

January 7, 2012 01:28 pm at 1:28 pm |

kenny

Rick Santorum should google himself and then STFU.

January 7, 2012 01:30 pm at 1:30 pm |

ksmary

Mr. Santorum needs to practice his listening skill. What I heard was "career and college ready". Not "college ready", big difference. To me it means a child that does not want to go to college will have good reading, math and writing skills so he/she can pass basic training to be a mechanic, medication aide, etc.

January 7, 2012 01:31 pm at 1:31 pm |

Tim

I'm attending college and own a business locally and I could not agree with this more. The problem with our country is that we seem to think everyone has to go to college, and this is extremely detrimental for a number of reasons. It drags our higher education down by pressuring those who do not want to attend college to enroll. It raises cost by artificially increasing demand. By increasing cost, those who do want to go and will do well have to pay more for less quality service. Then, when those who achieve a Bachelors degree or higher, they will find their degree meaning less and less as more flood the market. Not everyone is meant to attend college, that does not make them worth any less but it is a simple fact.

January 7, 2012 01:33 pm at 1:33 pm |

Justaminit

Sanctimonious Santorum thinks wanting our children to have opportunity to go to college is "snobbery"? Really? How about stupidity, which this loser seems to ooze.

January 7, 2012 01:36 pm at 1:36 pm |

SOUTHERN HOTTIE

Hypocrite, isn't he?

January 7, 2012 01:40 pm at 1:40 pm |

BIg Dip

This article is probably the funniest thing I have read by a politician. It should be every parents goal for their children to go to college, as a society the jobs of the future will require a solid education. Santorum is correct that a mechanic is a noble job one that we need to progress a society with many other hands on jobs but even a mechanic there is schooling after high school. I think what the President meant is that the days of only having a high school diploma is gone and to be a productive member of society college or trade schools are a must. The American people should be happy that you have a President who is putting an emphasis on education becasue as the rest of the world already knows KNOWLEDGE IS POWER and the American people are falling behind.

January 7, 2012 01:43 pm at 1:43 pm |

GI Joe

Guess he's a snob too – he has a college education.

Pot - Kettle

January 7, 2012 01:49 pm at 1:49 pm |

shalla

Yeah. Because Santorum should really be flapping his gums on paying for education. This from the man who moved his family to Virginia and still made the people of Penn Hills, PA pay a whopping amount for the cyber schooling of his children by claiming they still lived in their tiny home in Penn Hills when they clearly didn't? It took a court case by the school district for those kids to go to school where they actually lived. That's insulting considering Santorum is now a millionaire and lived in an affluent area.

I don't have a problem wanting the future working pool of the United States to be "career and college ready" when it graduates from high school. An auto mechanic is a career and therefore would fit into that statement. However, I guess Santorum was just picking the "college ready" bit to comment on and pretending the rest didn't exist. He seems to do that a lot.

I've had to live under this sleaze once. I'm pretty sure most of PA will move to Canada before we have to do it again. The only one he cares about is himself. He wouldn't know the truth if it smacked him in the face.

January 7, 2012 01:50 pm at 1:50 pm |

GI Joe

At least President Obama doesn't want to keep his nose in our bedrooms. AND he doesn't dictate that we all go to the church he chooses. Santorum is a would-be Theocrat. NO

January 7, 2012 01:50 pm at 1:50 pm |

Tuan

wow... wow... another hypocritical statement from the GOP

"This is the kind of snobbery that we see from those that think they know how to run our lives." Isn't this what you're doing by trying to dictate how people behave inside their own homes with all your social issues?

Yeah, aspiring for all those who can academically handle college is American Exceptionalism I can handle. Santorum didn't use the entire quote " Obama also said he intends for every student to graduate "career and college ready." That' implies that if you are college bound, you will be ready for a technical school. Santorum is correct that not every student is college material, but his taking the quote and spinning it into some kind of elitism does nothing but deflect from the problem that our children can't compete in a 21st century global economy with a 20th century education system. I might add that goes for our infrastructure. Remember the good old days when school districts use to invest more in the building/technical trades career paths than they did in sports programs? Who is going to rebuild the 21st century infrastructure we need? Engineers and skilled labor. OWS, if you are out there reading this, here is another thing you can OCCUPY.. You don't need a public park to walk the talk..